


The Boy Out Of Time

by Ellie_Elizabeth



Series: Tomorrow [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 1970s, 1970s Peter Parker, Alternate Universe - 1970s, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Spoilers, F/M, Hydra (Marvel), Hydra Peter Parker, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kid Peter Parker, MEGA WIP, Marvel Universe, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Orphan Peter Parker, Orphans, Parent Tony Stark, Past Child Abuse, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Precious Peter Parker, Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Steve Rogers, Time Skips, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, Underage Drinking, Underage Smoking, i literally change parts of this story like every day
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-30
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2019-12-26 16:51:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18286343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellie_Elizabeth/pseuds/Ellie_Elizabeth
Summary: In 1977, several illegal experiments were carried out at an off-the-grind Hydra facility, resulting in multiple deaths, many arrests, and the disappearance of fourteen year old Peter Parker.Until 2017, when the recently reunited Avengers are sent to raid the lab for any useful information it may still hold, and get a little bit more than they bargained for...***OR, Peter Parker has been frozen in a basement for forty years and now has to figure out how to adapt to life in the twenty first century.Luckily he had people like Bucky Barnes and Steve Rodgers to show him the ropes, and a reluctant Tony Stark to teach him how to get his new spider-like powers in check.





	1. Crocodile Rock

__

_June 3rd, 1977_

 

 **Peter Parker: Born 1961 to Mary and Richard Parker. Resident of Queens, New York** _._ **No known living family. Volunteer Nm. 2176.**

**Tests undergone: Arachnid DNA.**

**Results: Unknown**

***

  ****“I really don’t know if all that's a good idea Pete.” Michael told him, taking a long drag from his nearly extinguished cigarette. “Them scientists have been getting up to some freaky shit recently, and you're just letting them inject you with whatever they please. I'm like 95% sure that's illegal.”

Peter took a sip out of the unmarked bottle in his hand, and grimace at the bitter taste. “It pays good and **god** knows I could use the money.” He took another reluctant slip and coughed when the brown liquid went down the wrong way. “Christ what is this garbage? It tastes like warm piss”

“Who knows, I pulled it out of my old man's stash.” Mike admitted, throwing his cigarette bud onto the forest floor before putting it out with his foot. “I thought maybe the old bastard might have good taste for once in his life, but considering his general attitude I shouldn't be that surprised.”

Peter only nodded before dumping the remainder of the drink onto the cigarette bud. “Next time I’m bringing the booze”

“Oh yeah. Are you going to buy it?” Michael laughed, grabbing one of the other unmarked bottles he brought along out of his backpack. “With what? Your fancy-dancy experiment money?”

“Oh hell no.” Peter laughed, accepting the bottle Michael handed him. “I’m saving that money for train tickets, god knows I’ll need a lot more of it before I get out of this god forsaken city. I’ll use the money I make working over at James’s to pay for our liquor.”

Michael brought a bottle opener out from one of his pockets and popped the lids off both the bottles. “Yah know the lady who works at the grocery store ain’t an idiot right?” He asked Peter, as he took a long sip from the new drink. “She won’t sell you anything once she realizes you’re like ten.”

“I’m fifteen years old!”, Peter basically screamed, making Michael laugh. “Well almost fifteen, but still! If I’m old enough for the government to inject me with a bunch of drugs I think I’m old enough to buy some beer.”

Peter took a sip from his bottle and was surprised that this drink was a lot better than the last. “I still can't believe the government hasn't shut their assses down yet.” Michael said, the concern evident in his voice. “Besides, what do you even do there that they pay you so much? Or are you not even allowed to say?”

Peter thought for a moment, tipping his bottle slightly to the left allowing a few splashes of beer to fall out. “Honestly, I’m not really sure. On the first day they talked all this garbage about _trying to recreate the super soldier serum_ or something dumb. I didn’t really listen.” He admitted. “Usually they make me drink something or poke a needle into my arm and then they run a few tests. Nothing crazy and definitely nothing top secret”

Michael scuffed and returned to his drink. “Still seems shady to me.” He mumbled. “Then what happens when they’re done? They just thrown you back onto the streets of New York City from whence you came?”

“Now you’re just making me sound like lab rat they finished playing with.” Peter rolled his eyes, finishing off the last of his beer. “They’ve gots plenty of other men there who finished the experiments and are now working on them. So maybe when all this is over I can get a real job that doesn’t entail being poke and prodded for hours at a time.“

“That also entails staying in New York with your best friend”, Michael winked, a playful smile on his lips. “You can’t move out West when you got an o _h so prestigious_ science job to do, now can you.”

“Yeah whatever.” Peter laughed, gladly accepting another drink. "Maybe I wouldn't be so desperate to go if you weren't so damn annoying."

* * *

_August 2nd, 2017_

 

“I can’t believe 75 years later I’m still destroying these god forsaken Hydra bases.” Steve addressed the group of Avengers, who had gathered in the Compounds living room for the newest mission report. “You can’t honestly be telling me you’ve found another one”

“I hate to disappoint you, but unfortunately the answer is yes.” Nick Fury told them, his hologram figure lighting up the middle of the room. “However I do have some good news, you won't be traveling to far for this one. It's relatively close to home for all of you."”

“I don’t see how that's good news”, Natasha mumbled, looking over the case file that had come with the job request. “Doesn’t that mean they’ve been working under our noses this entire time?”

“Do not jump to conclusion Romanoff.” Fury chided, smirking at the confused look on her face. “From the info we've gathered we can conclude that this base hasn't been active since at least the late 70s. So we just need you guys to safely get in and gather some confidential files and documents for us and then get out. Easy peasy."”

“Then why send us?” Tony asked from where he had situated himself in the corner of the room. “I do believe this is a little below our pay grade. Wouldn't this mission be better suited for one of your own agents?”

Tony pushed down the rim of his tinted sunglasses to stare at Fury, and everyone followed suit with equally unconvinced gazes. “It would be,” Nick continued. “But we have every right to believe that they may have been trying to replicate the super soldier serum here, and we don't need that info falling into the wrong hands.”

This sparked Steve’s interest. “Were they successful?”He asked.

“That, we are not sure of.” Nick answered. “No official report was ever made, but in 77’ the entire facility shut down with no explanation as to why. However, this wasn’t too suspicious considering that they mainly used children volunteers for their experiments, which as you would imagine, caused a lot of public out cry.”

A hush fell over the room at that, as everyone tried to process all the information that had just been presented to them. “So creepy old building, probably ghosts, and forty year old scientific research." Tony said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Sounds like a normal day in the office for me”

He stood up from where he was sitting and approached the rest of the group. “So when do we head out?”

“Tomorrow morning.” Fury answered, earning a groan from a few of the late risers. “I have sent all of you the information Shield has on the facility, so I would suggest you get in some studying before you depart and rest up. God knows what you might find in that old dump.”

Every Hydra based was it's own breed of weird, harboring some of the most disturbing things a person could ever see. "Well ok then, meeting adjourned.” Tony announced, before turning to address the ceiling. “Friday, end call.”

The picture of Nick Fury disappeared with a flicker and the room was plunged into sudden silence. “You heard the man”, Tony told them. “Do your homework and be prepared for tomorrow. He may have said that it should be easy, but just to be safe be prepared for the worse.”

Without anymore words the rest of the team filed out, and Tony was about to head for his lab before a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He turned around to find himself face to face with Mr. Righteous himself, who looked less than pleased to be back into the business of destroying Hydra bases.

“What’s up Spangles?” Tony asked, trying not to remember how the super soldiers hand on his arm reminded him of a certain incident in Siberia. They were making progress, really good progress. But some wounds took longer to heal than other.

“I just wanted to say how I’m really happy the team is back together and we’re able to do stuff like this again.” Steve responded, breaching a topic Tony would have much rather avoided. “This is our first real mission back, and I just really want it to go well.”

Tony patted the hand that Steve had so delicately placed on his shoulder twice, before turning to make his way to the lower levels of the compound. “Then do your homework.”

He knew that Steve was just trying to resolve things between the two of them, but Tony really hated pretending like they hadn’t just had a dastardly fight in a Tesco Parking lot not even a year ago. He hated giving Barnes a small smile every time he passed him in the hallway, trying to pretend that everything was alright between them when it most certainly was not.

But if he wanted the new Accords to work for everybody, he had to make sacrifices.

Even if that sacrifice was his own sanity.

* * *

_June 4th, 1977_

 

**Peter Parker: Responding well to various treatments we have been administering. Cells are bonding well with the DNA we have been ejecting into it. No noticeable changes yet. Patient cleared to move onto phase two.**

**Tests undergone: Arachnid DNA**

**Future tests: Radiate exposure**

**Results: Unknown**

***

When Peter stumbled home hungover the next morning and smelling like vomit, he wasn’t expecting much when he got back.

Especially not a man in a nice suit waiting on his couch, with a letter addressed to him.

The owner of the home, Giovanni Moretti, was also sitting with him in the living room, waiting for Peters late arrival. Due to the fact that it was 5am, none of the other boys in the home were awake yet, so the house was shrouded in rare and uncomfortable silence.

“Guarda chi finalmente ha deciso di presentarsi.”( _look who finally decided to show up.),_ Madam Moretti scuffed, obviously not impressed with his nightly shenanigans. “Hai bevuto abbastanza per una volta nella tua vita?”( _Have you drunk enough for once in your life?)_

“Scusa signora.” _(Sorry madam.)_ Peter responded, looking at his feet. “Non succederà più.”( _It won’t happen again.)_

“Mhm.” Moretti hummed, obviously not believing his blatant lie. “This nice man came to see you last night, I told him to come back early once the birds had flown you home.”

Peter face turned slightly red as he turned to face the man. “Sorry for making you wait sir.” He told him, trying to sound polite. “If I had known I would be getting a visitor I would have come home at a much more reasonable time.”

The man smiled slightly, as if something Peter had said had been funny. “Do not worry about it.” he told Peter, a yellow envelope held tightly in his hand. “Every young man has to go out and have fun every once and while. It's what makes us human.”

Peter smiled slightly at his words, as the man held out the envelope in his direction. “This is for you." He said, as Peter took the letter. “Normally we would just send these through the mail, but the boss was very clear that he wanted yours hand delivered.”

Peter flipped over the obnoxiously yellow envelope, and found his full name written neatly right next to the Oscorp logo. “Why?” Peter asked, carefully ripping open the paper.  

“I do not believe it is in my power to answer that.” The man responded, eyeing the boy in a way that made Peters blood run cold. “I am merely just the delivery man, and now it appears as though my task has been completed. I hope you have a lovely rest of your day, goodbye.”

The man paused a second before leaving, and turned around to look at the pair one last time. "I really do hope you consider his request." He told Peter, an emotion unidentifiable emotion lingering in his eyes. Then, almost as quickly as he had appear, the man was gone.

The creaky old front door slammed shut, and the living was plunged into a sudden darkness. Moretti seemed suspicious about the whole encounter, as the entire interaction had left a bad taste in the back of her mouth. But for the entire time she had known Peter, the boy had been notorious for getting himself into strange situations. So she bit her tongue and reluctantly ignored the oddity of the man. 

“La colazione è alle sei.”( _Breakfast is at six.)_  She told Peter, standing up from her place on the couch. “Non fare tardi.”( _Don’t be late._ )

Without another word, Peter took towards him room in the attic to read the mysterious letter. During the beginning of his time at the Oscorp labs, he had received a few letters from them. Then again those had mostly been about the logistics of the experiments and what he should be expecting in the days following. However it had been about four months since he had last heard from them outside the lab, so of course his interest was more than peaked.

He crawled into the tiny attic space he had the pleasure of calling his bedroom, and pulled on the short string that turned on his one over head light. Since it was five am, the room was still cool from the night, so Peter took this as a prime time to quickly change out of his vomit covered clothes and read his mysterious letter.

As soon as he was changed into a fresh tshirt and slacks, he ripped open the remain paper on the envelope and pulled out the folded letter. Unlike the envelope itself, the letter was typed on a sheet of milk white paper that had colorful flowers outlining the edges of it.

 _Dear Mr. Parker,_ the letter started.

_We are pleased to inform you that the data we have received from the experiments you have partaken in has made us here at Oscorp decided to transfer you into phase two of the operation, if you would so desire. Due to the upgrade we would be doubling your salary and moving you to our more prestigious labs upstate so we would be able to better observe and record your reactions to said experiments. If you would be interested in participating in phase two, please contact our hiring team at (212) 944-0400. If transportation or distance is an issue and key factor of your decision, please also bring that up to the hiring staff and we our sure they will be able to figure something out for you._

_We hope you will be in contact._

_Frederick Schneider_

_Oscorp Head Scientist_

* * *

_August 3rd, 2017_

 

“Ok team”, Tony’s voice rang over the comms, as he few next to the quinjet. “This is a simple in and out operation, just like old times”

“Just like old times”, Clints voice crackled into his earpieces. “Because they were _so_ great”

“Jesus Christ you get shot one time and you act like every base is a chore”, Nastasha joked, earning an eye roll from Clint. “You’re talking like you haven’t spent the majority of your life getting hunted and shot at as your job”

“This is different”, he defended. “We were suppose to be done with all this Hydra shit back in 2015. I thought we took down the last base in Slovakia and now Fury’s over here telling us there's more? I think I have a right to be a little ticked off”

“Well save it for the quinjet ride back home”, Tony announced, as the jet started slowing down. “Because we’re here”

The base was nothing special, if Tony was being honest, it was actually quite underwhelming. It was about a 45 minute flight from the Compound, and as they approached he could see that it was really no more than an abandoned concrete building. A rusted chain link fence surrounded it, and the grass looked like it hadn’t been cut in 40 years.

“Seriously”, he heard Sam say over the comm, as he spotted the Falcon also flying next to the jet. “Fury sent us all out here for this one decrepit building?”

“Looks can be deceiving Sam”, Steve told him, as the tell tail sound of his shield being placed on his back echoed around the room. “Don’t assume anything about this place until we’ve cleared it out. I’m not sure if all of you did the reading but some freaky stuff went down here”

“God I know”, Clint responded, his voice full of distaste. “I can’t believe they were experimenting on kids as young as 14, and it was **legal**. Like that’s Coopers age, and I would never even dream of letting someone do half the stuff they did to those kids to him”

“I mean most of them didn’t have families or relatives”, Steve replied. “Because of that it was probably a lot easier for them to get away with some of the stuff they did”

“Still so messed up”, Clint mumbled.

“We can discussed how fucked up the whole ordeal was later”, Tony told them as the quinjet started to land. “For now, Romanoff, you’re on scouting. Sam, you’re on look out. Clint and Maximoff, you two survey the outside and first story of the building. Steve, Barnes, you’re with me”

Tony landed on the ground as the others unloaded from the plane. Sam stayed up in the air as he started surveying for potential threats that could come from both the woods and the air. Natasha took off towards the building to check for any types of traps that could be awaiting them, or unwanted visitors who could be lurking around the property. Wanda and Clint also took off with her, trailing behind and waiting for her to give the all clear so they could enter the building.

Tony stayed with Steve and Barnes at the base of the quinjet while everyone else took off in their separate directions. “Fury said that most of the info we need in the basement”, he reminded the group. “And all the creepy shit hides in the basement, so Barnes you’re on look out while me and Cap sort through the records and decide what we need and don’t need”

Bucky’s response was to cock the barrel on his gun, which Tony took as a yes. “Than what happens after we get everything we need?”, Steve asked, watching as Wanda, Clint, and Natasha entered the old building. “Are we going to blow it to piece or just leave it here?”

“That’s up for Fury to decide”, Tony replied, making Steve furrow his eyebrows. “Once we get everything out it’s not our problem anymore”

With the first group already in the building, the trio took off in the directions of the concrete lab. There was still an awkward aura between them, and Siberia wouldn't be leaving any of their minds in the foreseeable future, but they understood that they had a job to do and they couldn’t let their emotions get in the way.

Sure, Tony could have always chosen Nat or Clint for her retrieval team, or even begged Rhodey to come on this mission so he’s have at least one friendly face to count on. But as much as he hated it he knew Barnes and Steve would be the best candidates for this job. With Bucky’s marksmanship skills and Steve obscure Hydra knowledge, he knew they’d get them in and out the quickest.

So silently, they made their way into the dusty building, and before long they found the hidden door behind a bookcase that led to the secret basement. It was almost **too** easy to find, which kind of put Steve on edge.

“Pathetic”, Tony mumbled, having Friday scan for the four digit passcode. “It’s like they didn’t even try to hide it”

The trio slowly descended the steps, with Tony upfront ready to shoot anything that moved with his repulsor beam, and Bucky in the back with his gun up and ready to go. Steve stood in the middle, shield in hand and prepared for whatever they creepy basement might throw at them.  

However, upon reaching the bottom of the steps and flipping on the lights, there was nothing. No threats, no traps, no kind of security. Just a room full of filing cabinets and desk.

All Tony did was shake his head as his mask retracted around him and he lowered his repulsor. “Truly pathetic”, he told the other two. “Let’s get to work”

After searching throughout the entirety of the first floor, Clint reported back to the group downstairs that all that was up there was a few old beds and a kitchen stocked with extremely expired food. The three from upstairs eventually made their way to the basement to help with the daunting task of going through all the file, their silence only being broken up by occasional comments from Sam, who had made himself cozy on the roof.

They went through multiple reports and files, most of which were on the awful stuff that went down at this lab, and sorted all the ones they deemed useful into one large pile in the middle of a desk. Wanda was using her powers to quickly sort through the multiple piece of paper, and caught everyone attention when she suddenly dropped what she was doing and look over at one of the far walls.

“Everything ok?”, Steve asked carefully, not liking the confused expression that sat on her face.

“Something else is here”, she responded, her accent coming out stronger than it usual. “It is faint, but I can still feel it”

Before he could even think, Tony had always retracted his mask around his face. “Anything hostile?”, he asked, having Friday scan all the surrounding walls and areas.

“No…”, she responded quietly, suddenly getting a forlorn expression. “It just seems… lonely”

“Mhm”, Tony hummed, as Friday continued to scan every inch and crevice of this place. “So there’s some sort of sad, lonely ghost down here. That’s great, that’s really really great”

“Whatever it is”, Wanda continued. “I’m pretty sure it’s behind there”. She told them, while pointing towards one of the walls that had a large bookcase it front of it. Right as she did that, Friday finished her scan and reported that there was an empty air space around that area, a long with a weak heat signal.

“Friday’s sensing a heat signal over there”, Tony told them, as him and Cap approached the bookcase. ‘It’s weak, but there’s definitely something, or someone back there”

Together, him and Steve managed to move the cabinet out the way, revealing the outline of what would have once been a door. There was still indents in the wall from where a handles would have been, along with cracks along the sides from where it had shifted over the years.

“Well that’s not stretchy at all”, Clint whispered, putting down whatever file he had been reading. “Creepy lab that did creepy experiments has a **second** creepy secret door. They’ve just really outdone themselves on this one”

Using his super strength, Steve was able to pull the stubborn door open, shielding his eyes as bits of the plaster used to seal it came flying off it's hinges and years worth of dust filtered out of the room. It took Steve’s and Tony’s eyes a minute to adjust to the darkness of the room, but when they finally did, neither could  help but gasped in shock at what they found. Everyone else gathered around to see what all the commotion was about, not believing their own eyes when they saw was lay inside that room.

Because standing behind the door, in a ginormous glass chamber, was none other than a young boy.

 

 


	2. The Chain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to start out by saying that I was not expecting the overwhelming support this story got. At first I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue it or not but all your kind comments inspired me to continue it. These chapters are a tad longer than I’m used too, so I’m not sure how consistent updates will be but I’m going to try my best. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

_June 6th, 1977_

 

**Peter Parker: Mr. Parker, along with two other potential subjects, have agreed to go onto to phase two. We have also been looking into one other potential candidate but their results are still inconclusive. Parker is only fourteen so his changing body should accept the new DNA nicely, and hopefully he undergoes the mutations we are looking for.**

**Tests undergone: Arachnid DNA**

**Tests approved for: Radiation exposure**

**Results: Unknown**

***

 

Peter stood anxiously outside the fancy looking building, shifting uncomfortably in his first communion suit that his mom had bought him long before she died. On any normal day he would have just worn a normal shirt and slacks, but considering that the car that drove him upstate probably cost more than his entire life, it was safe to say that today probably wasn’t going to be like any other day.

The man who had drove him stood next to the car, silently and unmoving. Other than introducing himself when he had initially picked Peter up, the man had yet to say anything else to the young boy. Peter tried to remember what the man had said his name was. _John? James? Joseph?_ He had been so caught up in the excitement of going upstate that he hadn’t really listened to the man had told him, but he knew it had to be one of those three.

The building that loomed in front of them wasn’t incredibly remarkable in anyway. It had a plain exterior with a few windows and doors dotting its walls. Not to mention the multiple vehicles and people that continually filed in and out of it through the large chain link fence that surrounded the entire property. The best way Peter could describe it was that it gave off an aura of power, and made him feel smaller than he already was.

The nice lady who spoke to them at the gate had instructed them to wait by security until Doctor Schneider came by to clear them and lead them into the building. So far they had been standing there for almost twenty minutes, and Peter was starting to believe that maybe this had all been some big practical joke. Maybe after letting him believe he was actually important for at least an hour, they would then come tell him it had all been a big prank and send him home.

He felt incredible foolish, standing there in a suit that was at least two sizes too small for him now. It had been Moretti’s idea for him to wear it, and he was now greatly regretting listening to the small Italian lady, or at least not bringing an extra outfit to change into.

“Peter Parker?”, a foreign voice asked, knocking him out of his thoughts and making him and the driver looking up towards the new arrival.

The man who was approaching them was tall and slim; at least a foot or so taller than Peter. He had a sharp jawline and short wisps of light blond hair that adorned his head. He had inhumanly sharp blue eyes, and when he smiled his teeth were perfectly straight and as white as freshly fallen snow. He look almost… perfect. Too perfect one might say.

“Doctor Schneider”, the driver said, making that the second phrase Peter had ever heard the man speak. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Jacob”, the doctor responded ( _damnit, Peter thought),_ “Thank you so much for bringing Mr. Parker here.” It was obvious that the two were friends, or at least work acquaintances.

“All in a day's work boss”, Jacob quipped, the slightest sign of a smile playing at his lips. Peter couldn’t help but feel that he was intruding, and instinctively started picking at the cuffs of his shirt and staring down at his feet.

“Mr. Parker”, the doctor said, making Peter shoot his head up to meet the mans gazes. “It is so lovely to finally make your acquaintance”

Doctor Schneider stuck out his hand, and Peter tentatively shook it. “Peter is fine sir”, he responded, making the man laugh slightly. “It’s nice to meet you too”

“Well _Peter”,_ the doctor said, making sure to overemphasize his name. “I would like to congratulate you on making it this far. Your test results were by far some of the best I’ve seen in the ten-some years we’ve been running this program. I’m excited to see how you will do in phase two.”

“You make it sound like a competition”, Peter joked, making the man laugh more.

“Well maybe it just is Mr. Parker”, he said, making Peters furrow his brow in confusion. “Please, follow me. I’ll show you to the labs.”

Doctor Schneider waved goodbye to the driver, and Peter watched as Jacob got back into his car and drove off. “Will he be taking me back home?” Peter asked, trying to make casual conversation. He also wanted to be prepared if he ended up having to walk back into town to catch the bus.

The doctor didn’t stop walking as he responded to Peter's question. “Most likely”, he told him. “But aside from being head of transportation, Jacob has many jobs both here and at other facilities we have located around the state. In all honesty I don’t get to see him very often.”

Their conversation ended after that, as the pair approached what Peter assumed was the main entrance of the building. Just like at the gate, a small black box sat adjacent to the door and when Doctor Schneider came into view a woman’s voice echoed from it.

“Name and position please”, her overly sweet voice said. That was definitely a phrase she repeated too many times on any given day.

“Doctor Frederick Schneider”, he responded, pulling out a small card from one of his coat pockets. “Head scientist”

“Please hold your identification up to the camera”, she responded, as the doctor did just that.

Not a second later, a loud click could be heard signalling that the front door had been unlocked and Schneider motioned for Peter to open the door and enter the building. It was the midst of summer, so the air was pretty hot and humid, but as soon as the pair entered the building the temperature dropped almost 10 degrees. Suddenly Peter was happy he had the undersized suit jacket.

“A little chilly?”, Schneider asked him, as they made their way through the lobby. He must have seen Peter attempting to pull the coat tighter around himself in a fruitless attempted to warm himself up.

“Yeah”, Peter replied. “Just a little, but it’s fine. These days it seems I’m always cold”

At his words, the doctor literally stopped in his tracks. At the sudden change of pace Peter also skidded to a stop, having to keep himself from tripping over his own overly sized dress shoes. It felt like the atmosphere around them changed instantly, making Peter wonder if he had already managed to mess this up.

“What do you mean by that?”, Schneider asked him, all signs of joking and cheeriness on his face gone.

Peter suddenly grew very pale. “I- It’s just that it feels like this summer has been colder than others”, he tried explained,  attempting to not stumble over his words. “Usually I sweat like a dog during this time of year, but it feels like I’ve been shivering more than anything else”

All the other people walking through the building paid them no mind , as the pair stood unmoving in the middle of the lobby. Doctor Schneider suddenly turned in the opposite direction, and Peter, not knowing what else to do, quickly followed behind him.

“Uhh, Doctor Schneider?”, Peter asked, struggling to keep up with the older man. “Where are we going?”

The doctor never turned around once to address the boy. “My office”, he responded curtly. “I want to check a few things over before we proceed down to the lab. Don’t worry, it shouldn’t take more than twenty minutes.”

Peter thoughtlessly walked behind him, wondering what the hell he had just gotten himself into.

* * *

_August 3rd, 2017_

 

“ **Did you know?** ”, Tony basically screamed into the phone. “ **Answer me honestly Nick; did you know.** ”

A sigh came from the other end of the line, and Tony wanted to chuck the phone out of the moving quinjet. “No Stark, I did not”, he finally responded, and Steve perked his head up a little. “Other than the few documents I sent you to retrieve, I did not believe that dump had any other valuables”

“This isn’t just a _valuable_ Nick”, Natasha spoke up. “This is a **child** ; a living, breathing child who was down there for god knows how long”

The entire team sat around the table on the quinjet, most of them starring wordlessly at Tony’s phone. Bucky had gone a sickly pale throughout the entire endeavor, obviously remembering his own time in a cryo chamber. Wanda just looked sad and upset by the whole situation, and Sam was more confused than anything.

Clint had opted to stay with the boy in the small medical room on the jet. He was by no means a doctor, and barely even knew how to put on a bandaid right, but somebody had to stay with him and it seemed that he had a soft spot for the child. He probably reminded him of his own son.

“We have a medical team ready and waiting for when you guys get back so we can fully assess the boy and make sure he isn’t injured in any way”, Fury informed them. “I’ve also been doing some reading, and I think I might know who he is.”

Now Steve was fully alert. “Who?”, he asked.

“Peter Benjamin Parker”, Fury told them, as a picture of the boy appeared on one of the screens. “Born in 1961 to a Mary and Richard Parker, he was one of Hydra’s favorite lab rats at the time and disappeared shortly before the facility was forced to shut down. There are many conflicting reports about what happened, but many former employees recall him and one of the head scientists getting into an awful fight only days before his disappearance. However that was never officially confirmed.”

“So what?”, Tony asked, scrolling through the information Fury had sent him about the boy. “He pissed off one of the big bosses so they stuck him in a basement for forty some years and then just forget about him? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Well now you’re just making him sound like a box of old Christmas decorations”, Fury said, making Nat roll her eyes. “Like I told you yesterday, some freaky stuff went down at that lab. It’s possible that the boy knew or saw something that he shouldn’t have, so they had to keep him quiet”

“Why didn’t they just kill him then”, Steve asked, making all heads turn towards him. “I know it’s dark, but why go through all the trouble of locking him away?”

Everyone else silently agreed with Steve on this one, that did sound a lot more logical. “For reasons, unknown”, Fury continued, half ignoring Steve’s question. “Young Peter was one of the only test subjects to actually show results for what they were attempting to studying. It’s possible he was too important to kill.”

Tony was still sifting through the boy’s file; looking at everything from his medical history to third grade school report card. “Was there ever an investigation?”, Tony asked, looking at the little information they had on his disappearance.

“Not really”, Fury responded. “With the government trying to cover up the entire situation and a few fake sightings of the boy in various places, they eventually concluded that he had run away and closed the case. I guess nobody ever really bothered to look for him.”  

“Well, not everybody”, Tony replied, pulling a video up onto the large tv screen that overlooked the table.

It was a news clip from the days following Peter’s disappearance. The video was grainy and old, but on it a young boy with curly dark hair was being interviewed by a new reporter. He looked tired and beaten down, almost as if he knew something that he couldn’t tell anyone.

_“What can you tells us about Peter Parker?”, the new lady asked._

_“He was my best friend”, the boy replied, his voice overflowing with sadness. “Neither of us have much family so we've always stuck together. I considered him a brother.”_

_“Do you believe what the authorities are saying and believe he ran away?”, the lady continued._

_“Never”, the boy replied. “Peter would have never just left… at least not without saying goodbye”_

The lady went to say something else, but the clip came to an abrupt end and the room was plunged into silence. “He was an orphan”, Tony finally said, passing around the information he had been reading. “He lived in a boys home because he had no extended family, and from what I can find the only people who ever tried to look for him was that kid on the tape and the old lady who was looking after him.”

Steve took the tablet the Tony had been reading off of and skimmed through the information. “So what I’m hearing is that he was the perfect target.”

“Precisely Captain”, Nick Fury said over the phone.

* * *

_June 6th, 1977_

 

**Peter Parker: Based on recent tests and calculations, it appears as though Peter has already gained some spider traits and abilities just from the DNA we have been injecting him with. He started phase two today, and the first amount of radiation has been administered.**

**Tests undergone: Arachnid DNA**

**Tests started: Radiation**

**Results from DNA: Increased metabolism and decreased thermoregulation**

**Results from radiation: Unknown**

***

 

“Ya should have seen it Mike!”, Peter excitedly told his best friend as they stood under the cover of trees. “They had this **huge** facility with this tall chain link fence, and in order to get into the building you had to show this tiny camera your identification card”

Peter was nearly shaking with excitement as he retold the story of his day to his best friend. “And when we first got there the doctor was acting all weird because I told him that I’ve been really cold recently, and for a second I thought he was going to cut me from the program, but then he just took a blood sample and my temperature and we went down to lab”

Michael laughed, but Peter could tell it was kind of forced. “That’s great Pete, really”, he said, his smile never reaching his eyes.

Peter took a bit out of the candy bar he had bought in celebration of his first successful day at the new lab. “Doctor Schneider also seems really nice”, he continued, trying not to let Michaels attitude get to him. “And one of the assistants gave me a fruit pop after they finished doing tests”

Michael went to say something, but then hesitated. “Peter”, he said slowly. “I’m happy you’re so excited about… all this, but do you seriously see nothing wrong with any of it?”

Peter had been absentmindedly balancing on a fallen tree trunk, and stopped to look up at his friend. “What do you mean?”, he asked, jumping onto the forest floor.

“It’s just that- honestly Petey. They’re injecting you with all this shit and you’re just **fine** with it”, he exclaimed, startling Peter slightly. “You don’t seem concerned at all what the side effects might be and that scares me. You’re the only real family I have.”

Peter smiled at him, wondering how he had found such a good friend. “I’m fine Mike, I promise”, he assured the boy. “If I believed I was in any danger I would stop immediately, it’s not like they’re forcing me against my will. This is my decision.”

Michael only looked at the ground and said nothing. “You can’t get rid of me that easily”, Peter joked, making the end of Michaels lips curl up into a small smile. “I’m not going anywhere any time soon”

Peter had finished his candy bar and absently mindedly stuffed the wrapper into his pants pocket. The sun had set almost twenty minutes ago, and despite the bugs and potential threat of wild animals attacking them, neither boy wanted to go home. At home they had responsibilities and people to please, but out here they could still be kids; if only for a few hours.

“What about when you finally decide to head out west?”, Michael quietly asked, unsure if he wanted to know the answer. “What happens to me then?”

Mike looked up at his friends, and was met with a lopsided smile adorning Peter’s face. “Don’t be silly”, he told him. “You’ll be sitting on the train seat next to me. I couldn’t just leave my family behind like that.”

For the first time of that entire night, the smile that broke out of Michaels face finally reached his eyes, as the pair continued to talk the summer night away. No place was ever truly quiet, but it seemed that night the woods had fallen into a deep slumber. Other than the chattering bugs, no other living creatures disturbed the boys.

And of course, they didn’t complain. Because in New York, silence was rare to find and hard to keep. So instead they enjoyed the peace and forgot about their problems.

 


	3. American Pie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no excuse. Enjoy.

_ June 10th, 1977 _

 

**Peter Parker: According to recent blood and DNA tests, Mr. Parker’s body has started undergoing minor changes with the radiation we have been administering. However, we can’t seem to find a concentration dense enough to fully activate his genes. In order for the transformation to completely work his DNA needs to bond with the radiation. More blood test will be required to figure out how to successfully accomplish this.**

**Tests Undergone: Arachnid DNA**

**Tests Started: Small amounts of radiation**

**Results from DNA: Increased metabolism, decreased thermoregulation, and increased grip in both right and left fingertips**

**Results from radiation: Unknown**

***

 

“Ok Peter, you might feel a small pinch.” The nurse gently told him, before injecting the needle into the small vein that sat in the crook of his elbow. 

When she had told him he needed to get blood drawn today, Peter had been less than thrilled. Even if tests he had previously endured had involved finger pricks and needles, the idea of having to watch his own blood flow out of his body was less than appealing. 

“How long does it have to stay in?” Peter asked, trying to conceal the shakiness in his voice. He could now see the blood collecting into the small bag that hung off the edge of his cot, and the sight made him horribly lightheaded. Blood had always made him nauseous, and was the sole reason Ben only tried to take him hunting once.

“Only until we get enough blood to test.” She replied, her voice overflowing with fake sweetness. “Just give it a few minutes to do it’s work.” 

With that sentiment, she left the room; leaving Peter alone with the bag of his own blood and a million thoughts running through his head. Apparently this was all they needed him for that day, because Doctor Schneider was out of state on a separate assignment and wouldn’t be back for a few days. They refused to tell him why, but Peter could only assume that it was really important. The man was a mystery in and of himself, and he had stopped trying to question it almost immediately.

Everyday for nearly a week now, Jacob would arrive around nine in the morning to pick Peter up from the boys home and then drop him off at the lab approximately a half hour later. Whether or not he would actually be working with Doctor Schneider that day was only determined once he got to the doors of the facility. The receptionist would either send him off with one of the nurses or scientist for data collection and diagonzitics, or Schneider would be waiting to take him down to his personal lab for them to run their own tests.

Peter honestly preferred the latter, because unlike the stuffy nurses and scientists in the communal labs, Doctor Schneider made good conversations and always explained what he was going to do before doing it. He also always talked while he working and Peter swore that he learned more during those lab sessions than he had ever had at school. The man was brilliant, there was no denying that, and nothing could quell Peter’s absolute fascination with the doctor.

Before he knew in the nurse was back and carefully removed the needle from his arm. The weight of not having to look at his own blood anymore fell over Peter as he gratefully accepted the small cup of orange juice that was handed to him. He also swiped a small pack of cookies that were conveniently sitting on the counter and slid them into his pocket.

“Thank you Mr. Parker. That’ll be all for today.” The nurse informed him, moving the blood bag onto a small cart and writing something onto her clipboard. “Jacob will be waiting outside to take you home.” 

It wasn’t even noon yet, but Peter couldn’t help but feel slightly relieved that he got to leave early. Since the moment he had entered the lab that morning, a feeling of dread had settled over him. The best way he could describe it was that a large pressure had seated itself on his stomach and refused to budge to the point where he was having trouble breathing at times. His words had been coming out shallow and a migraine was starting to form in the back of his head. Ever scrap of a pencil against paper seemed to set off his fight or flight response and the smell of cleaning supplies was starting to make him nauseous. 

Small things like this had been happening for a while now. Ever since he’d been transferred to the upstate lab he had noticed changes both around him and with his own body. A piece of him knew he should reporting these things, either to Schneider or the nurses, but the fear that they would mark him as a failure and kick him out of the program was ever present. Until Peter fully understood what was going on, he wasn’t going to tell anyone. 

Peter was mostly familiar with the upstate lab by now, so the nurse let him walk back towards the entrance by himself while she finished up her work. It was something that would have never been allowed back in the Queen’s lab, and made Peter feel slightly independent. People barely even paid him any glance and he made his way down the white, twisted corridors and towards the exit.

He was about to turn the corner that would lead him to the main lobby, when a noise to his left made him stop in his tracks. Even though he was standing on the opposite end of the door, he could clearly make out a conversation that two men were having inside the room. It was jarring at first, because it almost sounded like he was standing right next to them as they spoke, but there was an entire wall between them. Now, with his curiosity piqued, Peter decided to listen in for a minute. 

“Schneider’s delusional.” A first voice said, clearly agitated. “We’re doing these bullshit experiments on  _ literal  _ children and he honestly expects something to be yielded from it. I'm starting to get sick of it.” 

“Mark you gotta calm down.” A second voice responded, sounding much more relaxed than the first. “I’m not saying what we’re doing here is right, but you’ve seen the data. We’ve actually got something here with this new kid.

A loud grumble sounded from inside the room, as Mark’s voice got louder. “People have been trying to recreate the super soldier serum for nearly thirty years.” He stated, as Peter subconsciously moved closer to the closed door. “Even if they can yield similar results with any of these children, what than? The Vietnam War has been over for a few years now and none of the participants are exactly  _ spy  _ material, so what on God’s green earth is Schnieders plan?” 

There was a pause, and an intake of breath that sounded suspiciously like a cigarette drag. “It’s questions like those that get people like you booted out of here. If I were you I’d just keep my mouth shut and do as they say so you can keep feeding that pretty family of yours every week.” The man threatened, and Peter felt his heart drop at those words. “We do what we gotta do and get paid, that’s all.” 

There was a long pause, and Peter was almost afraid that his deep breathing would give away his position. “Freaky things have always been going on here.” The same voice continued. “You’ll learn that soon enough.” 

Trying to make as little noise as possible, Peter slowly backed away from the door and ran towards the exit. It was times like these that he wished he had actually paid attention when the scientist had explained why exactly they were running these experiments. But he couldn’t dwell on that for now. His heart rate had started to pick up and every beat was like a hammer being brought down on his skull. The skid of his shoes on the tile made his want to rip his ears off and the bright lights bearing that hung from the ceiling made him squint his eyes in pain.

He somehow made it to where Jacob was standing impatiently in the entrance, and he only gave the boy a confused glance before leading him out to the car. Peter was uncharacteristically quiet the whole ride home, leaning his head against the warm window and trying to block out the music playing on the radio. The minute he was dropped out outside the boys home, he took off in the opposite direction and ran towards the woods. Michael wouldn’t been meeting him there for a few more hours, but he needed a place where he could digest the information he had learned in peace. 

Once he had started running, he couldn’t stop. Usually his asthma would have slowed him down by now, but ever since he had started going to the upstate lab his usually ailments had stopped afflicting him. His thick rimmed glasses now sat abandoned on his nightstand and all forms of physical activity now came easy to him. He hadn’t had an asthma attack in days and he had accidentally broken one of Moretti’s cabinet doors right off its hinges while trying to get a cereal bowl. 

He skidded to a stop at their usual meeting place, and fell to his knees while he tried to catch his breath. One of his legs collided with an empty beer bottle that was littered across the ground, but he couldn’t find the energy to care. The conversation he had overheard kept repeating in his head on max volume, almost as if he was back in the room with them. It pounded in his head like a drum and Peter subconsciously raised his hands to cover his ears. 

Almost as if a flip was switched, every sound in the forest became amplified. From the flap of a singular birds wings, to the rushing water of a stream that sat nearly half a mile away, Peter wanted to cry out over how heightened all of his senses were. He could still taste the toast he had for breakfast and he could smell the antiseptics that the nurse had used to clean his arm. The scented laundry detergent Moretti used to wash his clothes hung in the air, and every time his knees dig deeper into the ground he could feel every individual piece of dirt beneath them.

At some point he had fallen over with his hands still firmly pressed over his ears. Wood chips were pressing into his cheek and a glass bottle was uncomfortably squished under his leg. He was unsure how long he’d been laying there, but from the ache in his shoulder he could tell it had been awhile. 

“Peter?” Someone called out, the snapping of twigs accompanying their arrival. “You here? I brought smokes?” 

Peter slowly opened his eyes, not being able to remember when he had shut them. The light coming from the sun stung his eyes at first, but thankfully most of his senses had calmed down by now. He looked towards the source of the voice to see Michael approaching the clearing. 

“Mike?” Peter coughed, his voice coming out hoarse. “Over here.” 

“Holy shit.” Michael whispered, running over to where Peter was laying. “What the hell happened to you?” 

Peter couldn’t see his own face, but he could only assume that he was pale and sweaty. The shocked look in his big, brown eyes being enough to make anyone concerned. He accepted the hand that Mike held out his him and shakily rose to his feet, leaning against a nearby tree to keep his balance. 

“We have a problem.” He told his friend, watching Michaels face go from confused to worried. “We have a really, really big problem.”

* * *

_ August 3rd, 2017 _

 

Nearly three hours later when the quinjet finally landed back at the Avengers Compound, the boy had still not woken up. 

This was concerning for a number of reasons. The first and foremost being that people usually woke up almost immediately after being let out of cryo. Whilst they were often disoriented and confused, they were also very noticeably conscious and alert. So for the boy to still be out after so many hours means that there was probably some other drugs or sedatives involved in the whole endeavor. Which just added another layer of mystery on top of the whole ordeal.

Nick Fury and Helen Cho were waiting outside when the jet landed. Per the doctors request to look over the boy immediately, Peter was instantly taken to the medical wing to be examined. This left a sour taste in Tony’s mouth, as he watched the child be wheeled off on a gurney. He felt almost… protective over the boy. Which was a forenign feeling for him. 

Tony had always been very apprehensive when it came to the topic of kids. Pepper had brought up the idea once, but it had been quickly shot down. With all the drama with the Avengers and the ever impending threat of death, they weren’t exactly suitable for children. Let alone a helpless infant.

There was also his own demons with Howard Stark and childhood fame. No kid deserved to be born to a fucked up father or into a world where everyone would be eagerly watching your every move. That was a fate Tony was determined to never let any of his imaginary offspring be damned, if it was the last thing he did. 

So he decided against kids. 

But there was something about that little boy that stirred a mix of emotions in Tony’s stomach. In the few short hours he had known of his existence he had grown incredibly defensive over the child and hated the fact that his future was still up in the air. He had never even seen Peter’s eyes, or heard the way his voice sounded when he talked. But he wanted to. And he knew that he would never be able to if the boy never woke up. 

“Tony,” Steve address him, walking over to him after he had gotten done briefly talking with Fury. “We are going to be having a team meeting in the conference room soon. Nick wants everyone to be there.”

Tony looked over to the rest of the group and saw them quietly talking amongst themselves. Other than when they had called Fury while on the quintet, he had been silent nearly the whole ride home. His usually quips and jokes was replaced with an uncomfortable quiet that the entire team felt. He knew he was probably just over reacting, but every time he replayed that image of a fourteen year old  **child** stuck in a glass box for almost forty year, he thought he might just puke. 

“Ok, sounds good Cap.” He replied, not meeting the man’s eyes. 

They all filtered into the building and once again found themselves sat around a circular table, this time with the additions of Clint and Fury. Bruce would have been there as well, but he had decided to stay with Cho in the medical wing to observe Peter. Unbeknownst to the rest of the team, Tony had told Friday to update him whenever there was a change with the boys vitals or brain activity, and was diligently watching them in the side of his sunglasses. 

Natasha was the last person to walk into the conference room, holding a huge brown box between her arms. She set it down on the table right in front of where Fury was sitting, and then took a seat in the chair adjacent to him. All with a deep scowl plastered on her face. 

“Here’s the info you wanted.” She told him, crossing her arms. “Now we want some information from you. Who exactly is Peter Parker and why was he abandoned in a Hydra facility? A kid like that doesn’t just coincidentally end up being buried underground for a few decades.”

Fury sighed, leaning back in his chair slightly. “I told you all I know on your ride back here.” He responded, most of his face obstructed by the large box. “But I’ll bet you anything that any information we could need on him will be in this box. So give me and my research team a week tops to go through all this stuff, and I should have your answer. If not, than we can figure it out together.” 

While this answer didn’t seem to completely satisfy Nat, she begrudgingly put her arms down and moved the box to a different table in the room. Now, with Fury visible to the entire team, Cap and Nat spent the next half hour retelling a detailed account of what happened on the mission. Tony continued to remain quiet, silently watching Peter’s heart beat out of the corner of his eye. 

“This is incredibly confidential case.” Nick told them, once they had finished debriefing him on everything that had happened. “We need to keep this under tight lock and key until we can fully understand what went down in that lab. God knows what would happen if the media caught wind of this.” 

“Where is the boy going to stay?” Steve asked, his brow furrowed.

“Here.” Fury replied without a moment of hesitation. “This is one of the most secure facilities on the eastern seaboard and you have the most highly trained medical teams in the country on call 24/7. There’s no better place on earth for him at this moment.” 

Tony raised an eyebrow, not angry at Fury’s sudden declaration since he was going to push for it anyway. However, he was suspicious that the man was so willingly letting the boy stay with them. In any other circumstances he would be instantly shipped off to some secret Shield base to be studied and researched. 

Maybe for once Fury was just trying to avoid a confrontation between him and the rest of the team. 

Tony was about to reply, when an alert out of the corner of his eyes flashed quickly; pulling his attention away from their conversation. Peter’s brain activity had suddenly spiked out of nowhere, causing Tony’s heart to skip a beat at the sight of it. 

“Tony?” Steve said, noticing the billionaires concerned expression. “Is everything ok.” 

Before Tony could respond, or Friday could finish explaining to him what was going on with Peter’s vitals, Bruce suddenly burst through the conference room door. His hair was slightly disheveled, almost as if he had run all the way from the labs. And a mix of confusion and astonishment was plastered across his face. He was panting heavily, and before he could never get one word out Tony was already out of his seat and running towards the scientist. 

“What happened?” Tony all but whispered, not complaining when Banner laid a hand on his shoulder to steady himself. “Is- is he ok?” 

Bruce took a few deep breaths before responding, looking Tony straight in the eyes while he talked. “He’s better than ok.” He responded, the whole team starring at him. “He’s awake.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s 1am. I’m really tried. Sorry for any spelling errors. 
> 
> I’ll try to post the next chapter a little bit quicker next time.


End file.
